


Potter, it's cold outside

by KittyAugust (KittyAug)



Series: Harry Potter - Fests & Prompts [16]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alcohol, Curses, Fluff, Getting Together, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Hogwarts Eighth Year, M/M, Snakes, Snowed In, Song: Baby It's Cold Outside, Temporary Snake, Transfiguration (Harry Potter), Truth Spells, Truth or Dare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:54:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22032889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittyAug/pseuds/KittyAugust
Summary: Harry and Draco get trapped by a cursed snowstorm, in a cabin in the Forbidden Forest during their Eighth Year. Where could this be going!An accidental magically aided game of truth or dare helps them both say what they've been trying to all along, despite the cold.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Series: Harry Potter - Fests & Prompts [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/628193
Comments: 6
Kudos: 336
Collections: Harry/Draco Owlpost 2019





	Potter, it's cold outside

**Author's Note:**

  * For [orpheous87](https://archiveofourown.org/users/orpheous87/gifts).



"Now we're snowed in? You have got to be kidding me!"

"I assure you I am not, Potter. We're stuck, until sunrise at least." Draco huffed, turned suddenly from the window he had been anxiously looking through and collapsed into the one chair offered by the small cabin they had fled to when the snow storm began. "Even I'm not creative enough for this and this place is a hovel which just makes it worse."

"Couldn't we, I don't know, Reductor our way out?" Harry offered, choosing to pace rather than sit on the small bed which was the only other soft surface in their temporary shelter. The snow had already covered the windows, but surely they could get out somehow.

"It was a very small, very localised, very violent snowstorm centred on and  _ chasing _ , one or both of us. That means it's a curse. So no, you can't curse your way out of a curse, Potter. Honestly. You did pass the magical theory part of your OWLs didn't you? I was sure we were back at Hogwarts this year to repeat our seventh year, not our fifth. Do remind me if I'm wrong?"

Harry sighed and tried to ignore the way a slight smirk and raised eyebrow just made Draco even more annoyingly attractive. Now that he had noticed how pretty Draco was he couldn't stop noticing it and it was getting distracting. Being locked in a small one-room hut with him for several hours was not going to help Harry's already patchy attempts at ignoring the problem either.

"I was a bit distracted that year," Harry said, more honesty than he intended.

"Yes. Well. That goes for every year, I expect," said Draco, breaking eye contact and dropping the smirk. He looked at the small fireplace instead of Harry, but Harry got the impression that wasn't what he was thinking about at all. A few years ago the same words would have been obviously sarcastic and almost certainly an insult. Now, it seemed more like an apology. A little too real for Draco Malfoy, even for this new, sadder and occasionally repentant version. 

"Right," said Harry. "We should start the fire."

Draco did not say anything, nor did he deign to look at Harry again, but he did flick his wand towards the firewood piled near him and sent some towards the tiny hearth where it arranged itself perfectly for Harry to start the small fire. They were already cooperating more than they had during any of Madam Hooch's 'Interhouse Bonding Activities' had managed.

Harry flicked his wrist towards the kindling with a half thought incantation and it burst into flame.

Draco startled, flinching back but at least he had those steel grey eyes back on Harry (where they belonged, said a small treacherous part of Harry's mind). 

"Don't do that," said Draco.

"Don't do what?" Harry gave up the pacing and took an awkward seat on the edge of the bed.

"The show of power. Wandless and wordless, it's intimidating. Especially when it's fire." Draco blinked. He hadn't meant to say half of that, Harry was almost sure.

"Oh…"

Draco shook his head, as if clearing it. "Aren't you going to send for help?"

"Oh! Yeah, yes. We should. I'll send a Patronus to Hermione. Do you think it'll get through?"

Draco shrugged. "It's worth a chance."

Harry drew his wand and flourished it pointedly before he cast, pleased when Draco rolled his eyes and had to suppress a smile.

There it was, a great glowing stag leaped from his wand, it glowed so bright it was almost solid. "Go tell Hermione that Malfoy and I are stuck in an old cabin in the Forbidden Forest, we're being chased by a cursed snow storm and we might be snowed in. Um, thanks."

The stag nodded its majestic head then turned and leapt away, through the wall and into the snow.

When Harry glanced back, Draco was holding his lower lip between his teeth and staring at the spot the stag had stood.

Harry was reminded viscerally of the reason he had been avoiding Draco for the last three weeks in the first place. He couldn't even remember what it was Draco said to get him angry, it might have been meant as a joke or a taunt, it was hard to tell, all he remembered was shoving Draco back against the wall of the Quidditch shed. The heat of them both, chest to chest and the steel of Draco's eyes, slightly taller still, with both of them breathing fast, almost in time. He remembered the elation, when Draco pushed back, he'd been so passive for months, so un-Malfoy. Then the shock, when instead of hexing or even punching, Draco had surged forward and kissed him. He remembered the heat of it, the way he felt that one kiss in every inch of his body. He opened for it, gave ground for the first time. Draco's hand on the back of his neck somehow, pulling him closer. A gasped whimpered sound that he wanted to blame on Draco but knew came from him. Draco's tongue, pressing forward, tasting like victory even when it felt like the best kind of surrender. Draco had bitten him then just the way he was biting his own lip now. Just a touch of teeth, a graze of pain making the whole thing so much more real. It had been so good it burned.

"Potter?" Draco was frowning grumpily, even that was a sexy expression on him. Harry felt more doomed in that moment than he had facing down Voldemort and Death herself. "Are you quite alright?"

"Yeah. Um, yeah, I'm fine." Harry wondered if the flush on his cheeks was as obvious as it felt. Maybe he could blame it on the cold. "I was remembering what happened in the Quidditch sheds," said Harry, quite without meaning to. The words just spilling out. He put a hand over his mouth, trying to keep the words in.

Draco crossed his arms and clenched his jaw so hard that Harry could see it, a line of tension twitching down his throat. Harry had become an expert in the pointy edge of Draco's jawline of late, it was sharp enough Harry thought he might cut himself if he got close enough. He had been intending to try and find out through some thorough testing, although Draco's current reaction to the mere mention of the original incident suggested that might not be an option after all.

"I rather thought we had silently agreed not to speak of that incident at all, Potter."

"So did I!" Harry said, he had to drop his hand from his mouth to do so though and unsure if sure that was the best idea.

"I know you'll assume I did this," Draco gestured at the snow covered windows, "But I didn't. And I've no intention of debasing myself by making a move on you again. So you don't have to worry about your virtue nor you precious reputation because of me. I have been trying so hard, all year, to just stay in the cloud cover and not breach my parole. I don't need to go cursing or assaulting the Saviour. I may have spent half my life getting in trouble just to get your attention, but even I'm not that stupid Potter. Honestly."

Draco determinedly glared out the completely opaque window making it clear he meant that to be quite the end of that.

"How honestly?" Harry asked.

"What?" Draco was so confused he looked back at Harry, probably without meaning to and his jaw unclenched a little. It was still so sharp, Harry really wanted to touch it. Just that little corner, wanted to run his thumb under that sensitive place where throat met jawline, from his ear to under his chin. The skin looked so soft, despite the white blond stubble or maybe because of it, and the bone so close to the skin he would be able to feel the shape of it. A desperate little intimacy that Harry would probably never get.

"How honest did you mean to be, just then Malfoy? And, on that note, what was the last thing we both ate or drank?"

"Oh." Draco blinked, looked at his hands. "You probably had lunch in the Great Hall. I ate in my room. Mipsy makes and brings me my food directly from the kitchens, she still hasn't quite become used to being a Free Elf. It's hard for her and I worry. At least she's close, working at Hogwarts. Oh, dear. I see what you mean… I really didn't mean to say that!"

"Yeah, I guessed. Makes you seem almost human."

"Thanks, Potter. Good to know what you  _ really _ think of me."

"That's not what I meant! How can you still misunderstand me even when I'm magicked honest!"

"It's a gift!"

They glared at each other, neither willing to speak in case they gave something else away but neither willing to back down either. Wasn't that just typical.

"It doesn't feel like Veritaserum," said Draco. First to break the silence, probably too tempted by the puzzle of it all. "It's too… soft and it's not happening in response to questions, just slipping out. Almost like we're drunk but with none of the fun parts. It's probably part of the same curse causing the snow. Tomorrow night is Yule, and truth curses and Yule have always gone together, kind of like sex magic and Beltane, or luck rites and Lughnasadh. Old magic, probably means Old Family, Sacred Twenty-eight maybe, not that that narrows it down much for either of us."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked the question more in an attempt to distract himself from the way Draco's lips looked when he said sex or Lughnasadh than any real desire to understand his actual point. Draco did not answer questions in class all the time this year though, not the way he used to, and Harry kind of missed it. There was a beautiful contradiction in Draco's attitude to magic, he took so much of it for granted but held other parts in such reverence. Sort of the same way he said the word Potter, come to think of it. Harry normally left brain teasers to Ron and crosswords to Hermione, but Draco was one conundrum Harry wanted to solve for himself.

"I mean that I don't know who cursed us," said Draco. "Or cursed  _ me _ probably and you got caught in the cross-fire, nor why although I can hazard a few thousand good guesses. Knowing what the curse is might help identify who cast it, or knowing who cast it may help identify what it is, and thus how to break it or at least how long it may last. At the moment, we lack details. I was trying to narrow down our enemies, mutual and otherwise, who might have cast this kind of curse on one or both of us. Unfortunately, between us it could still be almost anyone we've ever met and most of the ones we haven't too. It's not vicious enough to be former Death Eaters trying to get to you, and they wouldn't try at Hogwarts now anyway. It might be someone trying to send me or my family a message, seeing as we're seen as traitors by both sides after my little display at my trial. But...

"It's a bit too complicated to be something good natured, and I don't think anyone in the student body is anything but grateful to you for removing Lord Noseless, so again, probably not directed at you if it is a student, which I doubt. But again, I'm a traitor to the Death Eaters, yet still nothing but a Death Eater to the rest, so it could be anyone with the access to this kind of spell trying to make me admit to something, although Merlin knows what they think I have left to say, or just trying to make me suffer the way I made them or their loved ones suffer. Of fuck it all, anytime in my magic forsaken life. Who knows. I've hurt and pissed off a lot of people, Potter. I've been fending off curses and hexes all year, this is just the worst one to get through my defences. You probably just got caught in the cross-fire because you're what distracted me enough for this one to stick. I'm… sorry."

Draco looked at the fire again. Anywhere but Harry. Unlike Veritiserum, the honesty of the curse did not hurt, but it was uncomfortable. An awkward weight lying between them, heavy and warm despite the cold seeping in through the thin and snowbanked walls of the hut they were hiding in.

"Me too," said Harry.

"You what?" Draco snapped. Annoyed at himself. Annoyed at the curse. Probably also annoyed at Harry.

"I'm sorry too."

"Whatever for, Potter? Don't be ridiculous. I owe you two life debts, you don't have to be sorry to me ever again. Or for me, for that matter. Don't think I don't see the pity, Potter. I said I've always wanted your attention, not your pity."

"I don't pi…" the word stopped in his throat, like a lump of fear he couldn't swallow past. "I don't…"

Nope couldn't do it. He did feel sorry for Draco. Just not for the reasons Draco thought.

"Well," said Draco, through a tiny fake smile that Harry knew all too well. "At least we know more about the curse now. Definitely a truth element. You can't lie to me, how nice."

The way he said it made it sound like a lie.

"But you can still be a sarcastic twat, so there's that!" said Harry. Riled up yet again, despite himself, yet again.

"Always," said Draco. Uncrossing his arms just long enough to blow Harry a half-hearted kiss. It still hit Harry in the heart just like a hex.

"Why are you like this," Harry demanded. Then, "why are  _ we _ like this!" and that had to be the curse.

"I don't know," said Draco, bordering on plaintive. That was definitely the curse.

They both sighed dramatically and in unison, then Harry laughed.

Despite the bickering the silence they fell into was oddly comfortable. Harry physically bit his tongue to stop himself from breaking it somehow.

There was absolutely nothing to do in the hut. There was the small but magically maintained bed, the rocking chair Draco was managing to lounge in despite it looking to be the most uncomfortable thing made since cushions were invented, the fireplace, the wall of stacked firewood, and that was pretty much it. There weren't even any fireplace tools to break up the monotony of the space, presumably because wizards just used wands. The only other objects in the whole small room were an empty coat rack near the door and a very dusty crate full of even dustier old bottles. Harry wasn't quite Gryffindor enough to investigate those just yet.

"The Falcons beat the Cannons last weekend," said Draco, breaking the silently agreed upon silence. 

"Everyone beats the Cannons," Harry agreed. Thankful for something safe to talk about but slightly less impressed by his own treacherous opinion. "Being a Cannonball isn't about winning. It's about, I don't know how to say it. It's about optimism. Hope. Being in something together."

"And ugly orange jumpers?" Draco offered. And mand him, he smiled when he said it. One of those little tiny genuine ones that he used to reserve for his Slytherin compatriots but had just barely started to grace on Harry before the whole kissing in the Quidditch sheds thing ruined it all.

"Yeah, and the ugly orange jumpers."

They both laughed. It felt so good. As if the ice between them was shattered by it. Draco's was pretty much his usual snigger but there was something warmer in it, something Harry could hear him trying to swallow back. He hadn't heard Draco laugh often but he liked it when he did. This was not i but he could hear the real laugh hiding under the sound, before Draco stopped himself. When Draco really laughed it was a ridiculous gasping thing. Harry had spent a lot more time thinking about Draco's genuine belly laugh than he should have. He had decided Draco laughed on the wrong breath, as if he made a sound on the in breath not the out. It made it sound like he was choking on the joy of his own amusement. Harry like to lie to himself, before the kissing thing happened, and say that it was the idea of Malofy choking on it that made it so attractive. He knew that might be a lie even when he started thinking it. He was pretty sure now that he just liked it when Draco was happy. That was a lot more uncomfortable than it had any right to be.

"How do you know what Veritaserum feels like?" Harry asked.

"There's an easy answer, which involves pureblood fifteen year olds with too much money and too much time, and a much harder one which involves a lot more blood and people you respect behaving in ways I don't think you would enjoy. I suspect if I try to give you either you'll get both, and you won't like it. I don't like it and it's my life. So maybe let's stick to the easy questions, hmm?"

"I've never been very good at doing anything the easy way," said Harry.

"I've noticed."

Harry tried. He really did. He fiddled with the soft brown fabric of the bedspread. It had a faded flower pattern. It lasted about forty three seconds.

"Fine… What do you mean two life debts? I count maybe one, with the Fiendfyre? But isn't that cancelled out by you saving me when you lied for me at Malfoy Manor? If I already owed you, doesn't that make us even?"

"How do  _ you _ know that I even knew it was you? I might have just been confused. You were very puffy."

Harry gave him a look that said they both knew how ridiculous it was to even ask. Of course Malfoy knew him in that moment, the same way he could tell Malfoy in Diagon Alley, from behind and at fifty paces just by the way he moved. They had spent the better part of the last decade stalking each other. He knew Draco and Draco knew him, it was part of their whole thing. Maybe always had been.

Draco, surprised him by smiling at him, it felt like a shared secret and Harry wanted more of it. He wished he knew how to make Draco smile like that again, and again, and again. He liked sharing something with Draco other than animosity.

"Yes, well. I suppose I did know," Draco admitted, faux dismissively. "Of course I did. But that's not how a life debt works. Not really. I did that to protect myself as much as I did it to protect you. I knew I didn't really want Lord Noseless to win within two days of him moving into my family home. Even my father had changed his mind within a week. We were just too far in, by then. Father says he was different the first time around, but I wonder. I think my father was younger, not much older than we are now. Even with a nose I think you could still smell it on him, the crazy. The horror in him… I just don't think he got close enough that time… I don't really know about that though, but I know if we had a viable way out we would have taken it. Not letting them get you, that was my last cry for help. My last hope that your side might have a chance of winning, even though I knew it would ruin us if you did and even though I didn't really believe it even then. I just wanted to be able to imagine. To hope. If you were out there, alive, breathing… well it was still possible. I suppose you were my Chudley Cannons, Potter. It wasn't about you. You don't owe me anything, and even if it was that way around, that only cancels out one not two."

"What was the other one then?" Harry pressed. Draco was already learning to maneuver around the curse. Cunning, almost admirably so. "The fire was one, what's the other?" 

Draco sighed, like he really didn't want to answer but after a moment to compose himself he spoke, looking at the spiderwebs on the ceiling instead of Harry. "You saved us all, Potter. We all owe you. My mother thinks you died for us Potter. Then came back like some kind of Muggle metaphor. Of course we all owe you. Don't let it go to your head."

"Oh, okay then. So, you think every witch and wizard in Britain owes me personally a life debt?"

"No, don't be ridiculous."

"How am I the one being ridiculous?"

"You're always the one being ridiculous." Draco seemed to be enjoying this now.

"Why do you think that you, specifically, owe me, specifically, a life debt over killing Voldemort? Which is something I never really wanted to do in the first place let alone to specifically save you."

"Well, when you put it like that it makes me seem ridiculous too. No it's… it's very Slytherin of you to keep making me answer these questions you know. No. It's not just about getting rid of Old Snakeface. You saved my life and my mother's too when you spoke for us before the Wizingamot. I might be mortified to be back here by a court order, but it's better than Azkaban or the Kiss. Hogwarts is better than house-arrest even. Of all the epiloges my war could have had, this is one of the best. And that's because of you, as much as it pains me (literally) to have to say it aloud."

"Oh. Okay then."

"Okay then?"

At some point Draco had uncrossed his arms. He was gesturing as he spoke. Harry liked it when he did that, now he let himself like it instead of finding it infuriating. He had nice wrists, long potion maker's fingers and his nails were always so clean even though he still bit them sometimes.

"Yeah, okay then."

"Fine, truth or dare, Potter?"

"What?" Harry yelped, dragging his gaze from Draco's elegantly pointing finger.

"Oh, you started it and you know it. We've got nothing better to do and at least I'm giving  _ you _ an option. I won't ask you to do anything evil or homosexual, don't worry. Truth or dare."

"Um…" Harry had no idea what the safer option was. When they played truth or dare a few times in Gryffindor Tower the dares always got pretty out of hand and the truths pretty mediocre. On the other hand, Draco was most certainly not a Gryffindor and, apart from the ambient magical pressure of a bunch of witches and wizards playing a truth game, there had never been an actual truth curse placed in Gryffindor Tower. "Dare?"

"Oh, you're no fun, Potter. What a shock. Fine. Conjure a biscuit and eat it."

"Eww, I'm not eating Conjured food!"

"Ah, so you were paying attention in class at least once! But that's not very Gryffindor of you."

"Ha ha… fine. I'll do it."

Harry drew his wand and focused as hard as he could. He really did not want to mess this one up. Conjured objects were mostly air and water and tended to evaporate back into cold wisps of pure magic if destroyed or in this case eaten. It was going to be uncomfortable no matter what, but a poorly Conjured biscuit would also taste and feel gross, which he wanted to avoid. He cast the spell Conjuring the food right into his waiting palm.

It wasn't a bad attempts. It looked just like a Jaffa Cake but when he shoved it in his mouth as quickly as possible it didn't actually taste like much of anything, maybe a little bit like shortbread and porridge but nothing like chocolate. He coughed, half from the odd taste and rubbery texture but mostly from the rush. He shuddered and Draco cackled. 

"Okay, that wasn't so bad. I'll be magnanimous and let you go next even though you technically took several turns before we even agreed to play."

"Okay, truth or dare, Malfoy?" Harry realised he had moved down the bed towards Draco's chair and was leaning closer but moving back now might just make it more obvious.

Draco considered it seriously for a moment before saying, "Dare."

"Lick the window next to you."

"That's disgusting. We have no idea when this place was last cleaned."

"Alright, you can cast a cleaning charm on it first," said Harry, rather magnanimously.

"It's covered in ice, what if I get stuck?"

"Scared, Malfoy?" 

"You wish, Potter." There was that secret smile again, the one that made Harry feel like he was drowning. In a good way.

Draco moved quickly once he had made his mind up to do it. He brought one knee up onto the chair and twisted himself like awkwardly elegant pretzel. He pointed his wand at the window first. "Scourgify" he said, the glass was gleaming clean in moments. He still bunched up his nose before going in for the lick, in a way that Harry hoped never to admit to finding adorable. Harry had a feeling Malfoys did not like to be thought adorable in any context. Harry was still unsure about this whole being attracted to blokes thing, this bloke in particular, but he was pretty sure he was not meant to find a boy licking a window quite so attractive. There really must be something wrong with him. Draco was far from hesitant however and now committed he licked the, admittedly freshly cleaned, window quite vigorously. Harry swallowed thickly.

"Ick, pah. Uck." Draco half flopped, half rolled back into his original, also quite appealing, sprawled sitting position.

"Eloquent," said Harry.

"Quite." And there it was again, that achingly genuine almost smile.

"Dare," said Harry quickly, more to distract himself than Draco.

Draco sighed. "It is much more difficult to embarrass you with just the two of us playing, you know.

Harry shrugged one shoulder, unrepentant. "You started it, and you know it," said Harry, echoing Draco's earlier accusations.

"I suppose I did. But on that point we're skipping ahead to the really interesting ones. You've already made me talk about the damned War before we were even officially playing, which normally takes more Firewhisky and far sneakier tactics. Go fetch those empty bottles, and no that's not all of it."

Harry frowned but did as he was bidden. Out of curiosity as much as anything.

"Very good. Now get three of them and Transfigure two into decent glasses, then the third you'll need for the actual dare.

"Ooookay."

Once three of the jars were on the table Draco had Conjured and Harry was trying to not completely mess up recreating Aunt Petunia's good crystal glasses, Draco had pulled a small rune scribed box out of one of his school bag. Both their bags were currently abandoned by Draco's chair which Harry had almost forgotten about when trying to find dares or entertainment, for that matter.

Draco places a currently tiny bottle on the table then muttered a quick "Engorgio," returning the bottle to its original size.

"What's that?" Harry asked, despite recognizing expensive alcohol when he saw it.

"Apple Brandy, Fairy-made and quite excellent. I'm spoiling you, but also myself because it really is getting chilly in here, despite the fire and my heating charms."

"Oh. Right." Harry pushed both newly Transfigured glasses towards Draco to be filled. Trusting that he would have been told off by now if the little crystal cut goblets were deemed insufficient.

Draco filled both and offer one to Harry.

Harry took a sip. It was… really good actually. Most of the spirits and liquors Harry had tried had been either far too strong, far too sweet, or in many cases both. This was sweet but light with a hint of cinnamon and vanilla. Reminding him of treacle tart and apple pie and not setting his mouth on fire even a little bit. "It's nice."

"That's the point. Now, the dare. You have to Transfigure the last one into a lamp while thinking about the person you are currently most attracted to. Trust me, the results are always illuminating. Although not always literally.

"Why do you keep getting me to Conjure or Transfigure stuff anyway? Is this some kind of Slytherin kink I should know about?"

That got an almost laugh out of Draco and a tiny half toast for his glass. Harry tried not to glow at the implicit praise.

"Truthfully, which I suppose it has to be, Pansy is very good at Conjuration and Transfiguration so I know a lot of dares aimed at or more often made up by her that have been, amusing, shall we say, in the past."

It was still strange to think of the Slytherins doing normal teenage stuff in their dungeon common room. Often the same stuff that his fellow Gryffindors had been getting up to in their tower.

"Pansy? She's the only girl from your year that came back, right? Are you guys still…" Harry gave up on trying to guess what Pansy and Draco may be or have been and just waved his hands in what he supposed was meant to mean 'together' and grimace. At least this got another not-quite-laugh out of Draco.

"Potter, I'm as gay as an orange pixie. We never really were," Malfoy mockingly recreated Harry's 'together' hand gesture. "And even if we ever were or had been, I certainly wouldn't have been snogging other people in the Quidditch sheds not two weeks ago if we were still..." another even more exaggerated and flailing rendition of the 'together' hand motion.

Harry did not get the pixie reference but was oddly comforted by the rest. "Oh… good."

"Now stop stalling and do the dare, Potter."

"Right. Yeah… um."

He tried. He really did but what he got was not in anyway shape or form a lamp.

What he got was a glass snake with glowing green eyes. A semi-living, little glass snake with glowing eyes. It should have been creepy but it was actually pretty, well yeah, adorable. Oops.

"Oh," said Draco, apparently not expecting this result either. "That's just cruel. There must have been a spider or something in the glass to give it living essence. Turn it back."

"No," said Harry. "I think he's cute." Harry held out his hand and the snake slithered forward and into Harry's palm contentedly. 

"I didn't take you for a fan of snakes, Potter."

"I'm full of surprises."

"Yes, I suppose you can be. Dare, then."

"What," said Harry distracted from his new companion.

"It's my turn and I've skipped the you asking part and picked dare. Now it's your turn to find something both possible and presumably awful enough that can be done in this room with only the two of us. Do keep up, Potter."

"Three."

"What?"

"Three of us." Harry held up his new snake. He was tempted to think of it as Draco Junior but thought Draco might re-configure it back into glassware or even Banish it if he dared admit that to Draco Snr himself.

"Fine. Dare, Potter. Don't make me touch your snake."

"Oh, okay. Um…. Show me your Patronus. I've never seen it."

There was a very long pause. Long enough that Harry stopped stroking Draco Jnr's little snake head and looked up at the real Draco.

"I… can't," he said. "Not anymore. I used to be able to, before… but now all my happy memories are awful and tainted. It just doesn't work. Sorry. We didn't even agree a forfeit so I suppose that horrible fact will have to do."

Draco looked so uncomfortable Harry was tempted to try and comfort him but had no idea where to start. Offering him the snake did not seem like a good plan even to Harry.

"Oh--um what did it look like then, ah, before?"

"A lion." Draco huffed. "A very majestic, very cunning, very un-Gryffindor lion." 

"Right." Harry could feel the smile taking over his face. He knew Draco might read it as an insult but couldn't help it. "I'd like to see it someday. When you get it back."

"Yes. Well. I don't expect that will ever happen, so. Truth or Dare, Potter? Hurry up."

"Truth," said Harry. It only felt fair seeing as he'd somehow forced Draco into truth on the last round without meaning to.

"Oh." Draco thought about it for a second. "Why were you looking for me earlier? You tracked me down just before the curse hit but you've been avoiding me for weeks before that, ever since… well you know. Why look for me at all, and why now?" 

Harry wondered how much he could say and, more importantly, not say given the curse. Draco was already quite good at speaking around things and not tempting himself to give away too many details, at least he was when he was concentrating. Harry was not so sure of his own ability to speak around the topic and really didn't want to cause a scene while they were still trapped together for who knew how long. The whole point of approaching Draco after he had been out flying was to give them both an easy escape if things went wrong. 

Harry drained his drink and placed the glass back on the table.

"I… I wanted to say sorry. For running away, and for avoiding you. We were getting on so well before… well before I ran away and I just wanted to talk to you. I kind of miss you."

"You wanted to apologise? To me? Because I kissed you?"

"Um… yeah. I suppose. I just needed some time to figure stuff out, clear my head." Harry looked at Draco Jnr because he was easier to look at right then. He seemed to be getting more real, not less. 

"Did you figure it out? Is your head clearer now? It doesn't sound any clearer from here."

"Yeah. It is. I came out to find you because I still want to be friends. We were becoming friends, right? Before I messed it up?"

"Before… you messed it up? Potter, even you cannot be that self-flagellating, can you?"

"Don't Slytherin out of the question."

"I don't have to answer at all. It's not my turn."

"Malfoy…"

"Okay, fine, yes we were probably friends. We can be friends. If that's what you want."

"It'll be great for your reputation," Harry said, remembering something Draco had said at the start of the school year when he invited himself to start studying with Harry and Hermione. Right out of the gate, while Harry and Hermione both stared at their uninvited study-buddy, Draco had said: "don't take it personally. I am very sorry, of course, hope you read my letters, et cetera, but this is mostly just because you're not scared of me and you'll be excellent for my reputation." 

They had both been so shocked they just kind of allowed it. Hermione only mostly put-up with Draco at first but after a few weeks they had some kind of private chat and Draco had won her over. Harry still did not know how. Ron was off becoming an Auror and Harry had felt a bit bad when Draco fitted into the space so easily after that. After a while though he had realised it was a different space, not Ron's space and that had made him feel better. He had certainly never spent an hour staring at Ron's jawline, that was for sure.

"It's not about my reputation, it never was really. It  _ is _ still excellent for my reputation, of course, but it's always been about you Potter. Of course it has. Right from the start. I've been trying to impress you since we first met. Before I even knew who you were, I've wanted your attention. Wanted to be your friend. So yes, of course we can be friends. If that's what you want."

"Yeah, Malfoy, that's what I want." That and maybe… he could not let himself think it or he would say it. So, "Truth or dare, Malfoy?"

"Dare," said Malfoy, instantly this time. They were both getting better at avoiding the curse, then. But that actually worked better for what Harry had planned.

"Come here," Harry said, patting the bed next to him with his snake-free hand.

Malfoy frowned at him but did as he was told. Perching awkwardly near where Harry had at some point relaxed and settled quite comfortably.

"That was easy. Mostly."

"That's not the dare."

"Hmph, you should have been more specific. Truth or dare?" 

Draco leaned back on his hands, the smug confidence was quite attractive on him too. Harry was coming to the conclusion that pretty much any expression was probably attractive on Draco's pointy aristocratic face.

"Fine, truth."

"Right. No more heavy stuff. Um… What does your Amortentia smell like?" Draco blinked, as if realising a slip but waited for Harry's reply just the same.

From this close he could smell the woodsy smell of Draco's pretentious skin potions and the slight floral note of whatever he put in his hair, not to mention feel the heat of his proximity.

"It used to be treacle tart, broom polish, and perfume. Now it's still treacle tart, broom polish, leather and something else. Probably some kind of potion."

"It changed?"

"It happens. I first smelled it before.. Well everything really. I smelled it again at the start of the year. We're different people now. I don't think I'm the only one."

"No. I don't think you are. Mine's the same though."

Harry's smile must have made him realise what he'd opened himself up for.

"Dare," said Malfoy before Harry could even ask, forgetting that a dare was what he had been avoiding with the Amortentia diversion in the first place.

Harry put Draco Junior back on the table where he hoped he would stay.

"Kiss me again."

"That's against the rules."

"No it's not. You only said you wouldn't make me do anything, and I quote 'homo-sexu-whale'. I can make you do anything I want." Harry was blaming that last bit of almost flirtatious confidence 100% on the curse.

Draco's breathing had picked up and he was refusing to make eye contact again. That was not promising.

"I said no pity, Potter."

The plaintive note in his voice hurt worse than a hex.

"I know. It's not pity, Draco. I just want to kiss you, is that so bad? I think I'm half in love with you too, maybe always have been. I like your jaw."

"My what… Potter, are you sure you're in your right mind?" At least he was looking at Harry again, if a little more concerned than Harry might have liked.

"Yeah, Malfoy, I'm sure. Maybe wish I wasn't sure, but I am really sure now. I do really like your jaw." He reached out and finally let himself touch it, right at the sensitive angle under his ear. He'd been right, the trace of stubble was a nice contrast against the soft skin beneath. He could feel Draco's pulse, rushing fast under his touch. "And your stupid one eyebrow thing you do, and your stupid hair. I think I'm obsessed with your hair. I even like the way you breathe. I like the way you lie badly when you're backed into a corner. I think you're funny, which God help me… I like the way you laugh, even though you don't do it enough. I like the fact that you started drinking coffee with breakfast in fifth year and still do, every morning even though you put five sugars in it so do you even like the stuff? I like your eyes. Even when they're like storms at sea and sword blade steel, I like the little flecks of gold I only see when you're close enough to hurt me. I've been paying attention too, Draco. And I like what I see. I like it so much it scares me more than any threat you've ever made. I…you know I don't like making speeches, and I really want to stop talking now. Plea--"

Draco kissed him.

It was just as good as he hoped, maybe better. This time he knew it was coming, mostly. He got to savour the way Draco's hand cupped the back of his head, pulling him in closer. He got to watch the moment Draco decided to follow through with it, his pupils dilated and those golden flecks so bright. He had licked his lips a second before and the next think he licked were Harry's. This time Harry got to be the one to push, just a bit. He pushed and Draco gave ground, falling back on the bed and taking Harry with him. Draco's hand found Harry's hair, tangled in and holding on tight. Then Draco made a sound, something haunting and needy in the back of his throat, Harry didn't think he had ever heard something so hot. They kissed, and they kissed, and they kissed. Harry let himself fall into it. He never wanted to stop.

Then Draco yelped and pulled away.

"Shit. What did I do wrong?"

"Potter! You didn't do anything wrong. There is a serious question in there about how you, of all people, can have such terrible self-esteem. But for now, there's a glowing otter here to see you."

"Oh, Hermione's patronus."

"Harry!" said the glowing otter in Hermionie's voice. "Pansy says the spell will lift as soon as you've both 'said what you need to say' and I'll look into other options of course but… well you were going to say things tonight anyway, right? Also Pansy says that she's sorry and please don't ruin her reputation. Yes, yes. Or kill her. Please do not kill Pansy. That's quite enough Pansy, do stop crying. Yes. Say things. Spell lifted. I've told them…"

Message delivered the otter leapt into the air and faded out of existence. 

"If you don't kill Pansy, I'm going to!" said Draco.

"Did you just lie?" asked Harry.

"No. Sarcasm didn't count but…" He pointed at one of the windows. The snow was already melting away.

"Oh," said Harry, not sure why he was so disappointed that they were about to be free.

"Potter?"

"Hmm?"

"May I break the rules?"

"Sure, sounds pretty Gryffindor of you."

"Yes, well you're a bad influence on me no matter what the Daily Prophet thinks. Truth or dare, Potter?"

"Dare," said Harry with a smile he felt in his bones.

"Stay, just tonight?"

"Here? You called it a hovel."

"I've changed my mind. Besides, it's still very cold outside."

"The weather is quite frightful," Harry agreed, unsure at that moment if it was from a Muggle or wizarding carol, but Draco seemed to like the comment anyway. "And that apple brandy stuff is pretty good…"

"Potter?" Draco had been inching closer as they spoke, he was almost in Harry's lap and Harry was not about to complain about that.

"There's only one bed?" Harry said, more suggestive than he thought he knew how to be.

"We'll figure it out. You're quite resourceful when you need to be. And besides, we're trapped, remember? Not our fault. We could always Transfigure the chair..."

"Draco? Truth or dare?"

They were so close to kissing again. Nose to nose. He could feel Draco's breath on his lips when he answered, "Dare."

"I dare you to break the rules, just a little more."

"You want me to make you do something evil?"

"Only if that's what you really want me to do." Harry found his hands on Draco's waist. "Dare."

"Harry?"

"Mmm?"

"Kiss me," Draco dared him. 

Harry Potter, never one to turn down a challenge, kissed Draco Malfoy. 

He also decided to thank Pansy instead of hexing her. It was the least he could do.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This was meant to be a quick pinch hit drabble for the [2019 Owlpost](https://hd-owlpost.livejournal.com/) but it got a little out of hand--Oops! 
> 
> I read pretty much all of my giftee's own AO3 works as 'research' and this is the result. I hope you enjoy it and if you do check out [Orpheous87](https://archiveofourown.org/users/orpheous87) as well. They really were very much the insperation for so much of this fic and are a much better writer than me also.
> 
> Thanks to SJ for the super quick beta, I made some last minute changes after and any remaining mistakes are all my own.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Comments and kudos strongly encouraged! <3


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